April 2019 marked the wettest 12-month period in the United States since recordkeeping began 124 years ago, according to a recent blog by the Union of Concerned Scientists. And according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), May 2019 has just earned the spot as the 2nd wettest month on record in the U.S. And if the weather for the 1st half of June is any indicator, June may well be in the running for record rain fall totals as well. Which in our neck of the woods means lots and lots of mosquitos.

We had our annual June family gathering on Father’s Day this past Sunday, to celebrate not only Father’s Day, but also my nephew’s birthday, my sister’s birthday and my parents 59th wedding anniversary. My sister’s favorite creature is the dragonfly, so earlier in the week my oldest nephew and brother-in-law made her a dragonfly pinata for the party. It had been raining the night before and all morning, so when it finally subsided and we were able to go outside to whack the pinata, we became a veritable feast for mosquitos. Personally, I think the dragonfly pinata summoned the mosquitos in force as many of them were almost as big. Sadly, the dragonfly pinata did not summon actual dragonflies to feast on the mosquitos as well. Regardless, fun was had by all.

There are lots of interesting news stories from the past month, particularly regarding actions involving the EPA and various parts of the Clean Water Act such as the definition of Waters of the U.S. and Section 401. Also of note, this year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Cuyahoga River fire(1969). Looking back at this piece of U.S. history should give us all pause as we consider whether or not to roll back Clean Water Act protections.

All of us at ASWM hope you have a wonderful summer field season – and don’t let yourself get taken away by the giant mosquitos!

Best regards,

Marla J. StelkEditorWetland Breaking News

Editor's Choice

EPA Issues Revised CWA Section 401 Guidance to States

By Duncan M. Greene and Sharon White – The National Law Review – June 10, 2019On June 7, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an updated guidance document(Updated Guidance) that clarifies and provides recommendations to states and tribes concerning their implementation of Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). The Updated Guidance, issued pursuant to Executive Order 13868, includes procedural and substantive reforms to the Section 401 process to reduce delays and uncertainty among applicants, states, tribes, and federal permitting agencies. The Updated Guidance is the latest in a series of recent executive and judicial developments that have significantly changed the Section 401 landscape, particularly for gas pipelines, hydropower projects, and other energy infrastructure projects. Read full story here.

WOTUS review stumps advisers: 'The science isn't right'

By Ariel Wittenberg – E&E News - Greenwire – June 6, 2019Members of EPA's Science Advisory Board grappled with whether and how to weigh in on the Trump administration's rollback of clean water standards given the administration's insistence that the proposal is a question of policy, not science. "They have the right to change the policy, but the science isn't right," member Robert Merritt said. The "Waters of the U.S." proposal from EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers would erase Clean Water Act protections for wetlands without surface water connections to larger waterways and streams that only flow following rainfall. At least some federal protections for those waters have been in place since the Reagan administration. The Science Advisory Board last addressed questions of Clean Water Act jurisdiction in 2014, reviewing and supporting a 300-page "connectivity report" describing how wetlands and small waterways can affect larger resources. The Obama administration used that report, and the board's review, as the basis for its Clean Water Rule, but the Trump administration has insisted that its rollback does not need to be based on science. Read full story here.

Streams could 'come in and out' of WOTUS with climate change

By Ariel Wittenberg – E&E News - Greenwire – June 3, 2019The Trump administration's proposed Clean Water Act rollbacks are meant to draw clean lines showing which waterways are protected and which are not. But climate change could complicate that as extended drought and increased storms change the hydrology of wetlands and streams nationwide. The proposed Waters of the U.S., or WOTUS, rule would erase federal protections for streams that flow only after rainfall or wetlands without surface water connections to larger waterways. But drought could dry up wetlands that are normally connected to waterways, and lower groundwater tables that normally feed streams. Increased rains could have the opposite effect. Under the Trump administration's proposal, that means streams and wetlands could "come in and out" of Clean Water Act jurisdiction, EPA officials told a Science Advisory Board (SAB) working group, because Army Corps of Engineers jurisdictional determinations last only five years. Read full story here.

National News

Ohio River Regulators Adopt Voluntary Pollution Control Standards

By Ryan Van Velzer – WFPL – June 6, 2019The multi-state commission overseeing water quality along the Ohio River has adopted voluntary pollution control standards nearly a year after member states considered a plan to abandon the standards entirely. The plan will keep pollution control standards in place but gives states more flexibility to implement their own water quality programs while ensuring standards are equally protective. Read full story here.

EPA Issues Memo to Increase the Agency's Compliance with Clean Water Act Deadlines

Water Online – June 3, 2019The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking an important step toward ensuring the Agency is meeting its statutory obligations and carrying out the cooperative federalism principles embodied in the Clean Water Act (CWA). In a memorandum to EPA Regional Administrators, EPA Assistant Administrator for Office of Water, David Ross directed regional offices to comply with statutory deadlines for acting on state and tribal CWA submittals while improving responsiveness in the agency’s oversight role. Read full story here.

By Timothy B. Wheeler – Bay Journal – May 29, 2019Ending an eight-month hiatus, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has resumed a federal conservation program that’s been a workhorse in the slog to plant forested stream buffers across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The USDA announced in mid-May that starting June 3, it would reopen signups for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), under which farmers can get generous subsidies to take cropland or marginal pastureland out of production and plant it with native grasses, trees or other vegetation. Read full article here.

House panel votes to boost Interior, EPA budget by $1.7B

By Niv Elis and Miranda Green – The Hill – May 22, 2019A key House committee on Wednesday advanced the 2020 budgets for the Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), voting to increase their funding by $1.73 billion over last year. The Democratic-led House Appropriations Committee voted 30-21 along party lines to push forward $37.28 billion in funds for the two agencies. It was an increase of $7.24 billion over President Trump’s 2020 requests, which included deep proposed cuts for both agencies. “This Interior-Environment funding bill rejects cuts proposed by the Trump administration that would have put the interests of polluters over people,” said Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), who chairs the subcommittee with jurisdiction over interior and the environment. Read full story here.

States aren’t waiting for the Trump administration on environmental protections

By Brady Dennis and Juliet Eilperin – The Washington Post – May 19, 2019 – VideoMore than a dozen states are moving to strengthen environmental protections to combat a range of issues from climate change to water pollution, opening a widening rift between stringent state policies and the Trump administration’s deregulatory agenda. In recent months, Hawaii, New York and California have moved to ban a widely used agricultural pesticide linked to neurological problems in children, even as the administration has resisted such restrictions. Michigan and New Jersey are pushing to restrict a ubiquitous class of chemical compounds that have turned up in drinking water, saying they can no longer wait for the Environmental Protection Agency to take action. Read full article and view video here.

USDA Seeks Project Proposals to Protect and Restore Critical Wetlands

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service – May 16, 2019USDA is making available up to $40 million in technical and financial assistance to help eligible conservation partners voluntarily protect, restore and enhance critical wetlands on agricultural lands. Restored wetlands improve water quality downstream and improve wildlife habitat, while also providing flood prevention and recreational benefits to communities. “These locally-led partnerships are instrumental in achieving greater wetland acreage and maximizing their benefits to farmers, ranchers and the local communities where wetlands exist,” said Matthew Lohr, chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). “For example, we see this program as important to helping communities respond to natural disasters, such as the floods in the Midwest. These partnerships can help with addressing croplands that flood frequently and water storage.” Proposals should be emailed to NRCS at by June 14, 2019. Read full news release here.

By Dino Grandoni – The Washington Post – May 8, 2019He acknowledged climate change is real. He acknowledged that humans are contributing to it. So why, Democratic lawmakers asked David Bernhardt, isn't he doing more to address global warming? Apparently, because Congress hasn't told him to. During his first testimony to Congress since becoming interior secretary, Bernhardt said it is up to lawmakers to direct bureaucrats like himself to address the causes and effects of warming globally. Read full story here.

By Dino Grandoni – The Washington Post – May 7, 2019President Trump's administration has been reluctant to use its power to protect species threatened with extinction, as scientists around the globe warn of a deepening crisis in the loss of biodiversity. More than two full years into Trump’s presidency, the nation's two main wildlife agencies have listed a total of 17 species as threatened or endangered, according to data compiled by the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental nonprofit group. That's far behind the pace of the Barack Obama administration, which listed an average of 35 species per year and in total placed Endangered Species Act protections on 358 different kinds of plants and animals. Read full story here.

State News

AK: Can Wild Salmon and the Pebble Mine Coexist?

By Ashley Braun – Hakai Magazine – May 23, 2019For Lindsey Bloom, who describes herself as a temporarily retired Bristol Bay fishing boat captain and mother of two, the saga over the proposed Pebble Mine—a copper and gold mine in southwest Alaska—has “been a roller coaster over the last 15 years” or so. The latest twist has been the most frightening, she says, as the current Trump administration has been rapidly removing obstacles to the project. Now, Bloom says a study published this week confirms her fears: it suggests US regulators have underestimated the mine’s threat to the salmon that live downstream. Read full article here.

CO: Frisco residents push back against potential wetland mitigation site

By Sawyer D’Argonne – Summit Daily – May 16, 2019Frisco is set to begin a wetlands mitigation project in conjunction with the Big Dig at the Frisco Bay Marina later this year, though the proposed location of the project has spurred concerns among some residents that the move could have negative impacts on their property values. As part of the Big Dig — a major excavation of Dillon Reservoir’s lakebed — the town disturbed about 1.03 acres of wetlands and is required by the Army Corps of Engineers to perform mitigation projects on at least 2.1 acres of wetlands as compensation. Read full story here.

CT: Yantic River wetland habitat restored as part of Thayer’s Marine expansion

By Claire Bessette – The Day – May 24, 2019Memorial Day weekend is traditionally the time for planting, but one group of people grabbing trowels and trays of seedlings Friday morning headed to the low-tide mud flats of the Yantic River rather than any backyard vegetable garden beds. Workers from Docko Inc. and Thayer’s Marine, along with Norwich Harbor Management Commission Chairman H. Tucker Braddock, raced time and tide Friday morning to plant 2,500 three-squared bulrush seedlings along the mud flats behind Christ Church on lower Washington Street. The area is directly across the east branch of the Yantic River from Thayer’s Marine, which is in the process of installing a 700-foot-long metal bulkhead as part of a larger project to renovate a single-story former mill building along the river as a new boat showroom. Read full story here.

DE: Coastal Recovery: Bringing a Damaged Wetland Back to Life

By Jim Morrison – Yale Environment 360 – May 9, 2019Standing atop a 10-foot dune at the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge on Delaware Bay, refuge manager Al Rizzo describes one of the largest and most complex wetlands restoration projects ever mounted, a $38 million attempt to return 4,000 acres back to what nature intended. Contractors hired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service dredged more than 1 million cubic yards of sand from Delaware Bay to create 2 miles of beach and barrier dune that had been washed away by a series of storms beginning in 2006 and culminating with Hurricane Sandy in 2012. To stabilize the recreated dune, workers then planted half-a-million American beachgrass plugs and erected 10,000 feet of fencing. Down the beach, Fish and Wildlife staff are enclosing the nests of piping plovers, a threatened species that started breeding at the refuge only three years ago. Read full story here.

By Nicole Foy – Idaho Press – June 5, 2019The Nez Perce Tribe is threatening to sue a Canadian mining company over a proposed mining project on the Salmon River, claiming it violates the federal Clean Water Act and threatens the tribe’s treaty rights. Midas Gold Idaho — a subsidiary of Canadian company Midas Gold Corp. — is in the federal permitting process to start open-pit mining along the East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon River, also known as the Stibnite Gold Project. The Nez Perce Tribe, based in Lapwai, issued a 60-Day Notice of Intent to sue Midas Gold Wednesday under the federal Clean Water Act for “illegally discharging arsenic and other harmful pollutants” at the site. Read full story here.

IA: How the University of Iowa Recovered From the ‘Unfathomable’ Flood That Ruined It

By John Schwartz – The New York Times – May 10, 2019Don Guckert’s job is keeping the buildings on the University of Iowa’s charming campus up and running, and safe. His most important lessons came from the worst days of his career, in June 2008, when the waters of the Iowa River washed across the campus, causing catastrophic damage. In all, the raging waters caused $750 million in flood damage, with $36 million in equipment lost in one building alone. Read full story here.

MD: Downpours, runoff lead to decline in Chesapeake Bay’s health

By David McFadden – AP News – May 21, 2019The overall health of America’s largest estuary declined last year due to the effects of record-breaking precipitation washing more pollutants into the water, but scientists described the difficult year as a dip for the Chesapeake Bay and not a disaster. For an annual report card evaluating the 200-mile-long (322-kilometer-long) bay, researchers at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science on Tuesday gave the Chesapeake a grade of 46% for 2018, down from 54% in 2017. All of the indicators factored into the bay’s health index declined or stayed flat last year. Its letter grade of “C’’ is unchanged. Read full story here.

MD: Maryland Receives $1 Million For Coastal Resiliency

Maryland.gov – May 10, 2019The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, partnering with the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, a $1 million National Coastal Wetlands Conservation grant to implement coastal resiliency enhancements at the Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge and the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center. The project will benefit Chesapeake Bay water quality through restoration of coastal wetlands and creation of oyster reefs enhancements at Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center in Queen Anne’s County, and at Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Kent County. Read full story here.

MN: DNR completes update of Minnesota's National Wetlands Inventory

KSTP – 5 Eyewitness News – June 3, 2019The first updated mapping of the state's wetlands since the mid-1980s is now complete. A release from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said the agency has wrapped up a 10-year effort to update and provide more accurate maps of Minnesota's wetlands. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had originally mapped wetlands in the state in the late 1970s and early 1980s as part of the National Wetlands Inventory. Local government agencies and others still rely on that effort for things like water and transportation planning, shoreland management and wetland permits. The new effort utilized new technologies in an effort to provide a clearer picture. Read full story here.

NJ: New Jersey denies gas pipeline permits, but allows do-over

By Wayne Parry – Associated Press – ABC News – June 5, 2019New Jersey regulators have denied key permits for a hotly contested pipeline project that would carry natural gas from Pennsylvania to New York, but they're allowing an Oklahoma company to try again. The state Department of Environmental Protection rejected permits Wednesday night, including ones for waterfront development and wetlands work. But it also allowed Tulsa-based Williams Companies to adjust their plans for the nearly $1 billion Northeast Supply Enhancement project, and re-apply. Read full story here.

RI: Habitat Project Provides Boost to R.I.'s Rarest Toad

By Todd McLeish – ecoRI News – May 15, 2019The state’s rarest toad is round and short-legged with bulging eyes and a spade-shaped protrusion on its hind feet that enable them to corkscrew themselves into the ground, where they stay moist and cool and avoid predators. But there is just one population of eastern spadefoot toads left in Rhode Island, here in Richmond, and they haven’t reproduced since 2014. Scott Buchanan, a herpetologist with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), called the toads “the best example of a species that, as far as we know, is on the verge of disappearing from Rhode Island.” Read full story here.

SC: Coastal wetlands protect us from disaster

By Matt Parris – WPDE 15 News – June 4, 2019 – VideoScientists say we're losing more than 80,000 acres of coastal wetlands each year to development, a rate that is increasing. Time is something that moves a little slower for folks like Shannon Stone. "Everyone loves living near the water," Stone said. "Looking out and seeing the boats go by is relaxing." Stone lives on the Intracoastal Waterway; his home is on stilts. He knows that the rivers and streams flood. Read full story and view video here.

TX: Judge: Obama-era clean water rule required more public comment

By Perla Trevizo – Houston Chronicle – May 29, 2019A federal judge in Galveston has sent an Obama-era regulation that expanded jurisdiction over waterways back to the Trump administration for review, a move some environmentalists fear could weaken protections for Texans’ drinking water. While U.S. District Judge George Hanks Jr. did not rule on the merits and didn’t vacate the so-called Clean Water Act change, he wrote that the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers under Obama failed to allow the public to comment after making significant changes to the final rule. Read full story here.

By Gabrielle Keene – Houston Public Media – May 24, 2019The Houston Zoo opened its new Texas Wetlands exhibit Friday morning, showcasing plants and animals native to the region. It’s the first of four new exhibits to open by 2022, the zoo’s 100-year anniversary. Located in the center of the zoo, it features a pond, marshy areas and an underground zone for kids to explore. Read full story here.

Contact: Brionna Aho – Washington State Office of Attorney General – June 6, 2019Attorney General Bob Ferguson today filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to revise Washington’s water quality standards. These standards, which apply specifically to Washington, are used to determine how clean the state’s waters must be in order to protect human health. Revising the standards now, the lawsuit argues, would create confusion and disrupt the work Washington has already completed to meet the standards. The revision is a violation of the Clean Water Act, which only allows the EPA to revise an existing standard if the standard is not stringent enough — which is not the case with Washington’s existing standards. Read full news release here.

WA: Decades-long water dispute settled on Chamokane Creek

Contact: Joye Redfield-Wilder – Washington Department of Ecology – May 14, 2019After decades of conflict over the use of water along Chamokane Creek, the Spokane Tribe, U.S. Department of Justice, and state Department of Ecology have reached an innovative agreement to end the dispute. The agreement centers on a mitigation program that will improve streamflows for fish, allows existing water uses to continue, and provides water for future domestic needs in Stevens County, and on Spokane Tribal lands. Read full news release here.

By Rich Kremer – Wisconsin Public Radio – June 6, 2019Atlanta based Meteor Timber is taking the state Department of Natural Resources to court as part of a four-year push to build a frac sand processing facility on 16 acres of high-quality wetlands in Monroe County. Since 2015, Meteor Timber has sought approval to build a $75 million frac sand processing and rail loading facility on property that includes rare hardwood swamp. Environmental groups and the Ho-Chunk Nation have opposed the project. In 2017, the DNR issued a wetland fill permit despite objections — obtained by WPR through an open records request — that showed staff felt pressured to approve the permit despite what staff called a lack of basic information from the company about how it would mitigate the wetland destruction. Read full story here.

Wetland Science News

Extreme weather has made half of America look like Tornado Alley

By Joel Achenbach and Jason Samenow – The Washington Post – May 29, 2019Tornadoes have been popping up every day in the U.S. as if coming off an assembly line. They’re part of an explosion of extreme weather events, including record flooding, record cold and record heat. Wednesday brought more of the same, with tornado watches in the Midwest and Atlantic seaboard and 37 million Americans facing an “enhanced” risk of severe weather, according to the National Weather Service. All of which raises the question: Is this climate change, or just an unusually bad year? Read full story here.

Light at night is harmful for amphibians, new research shows

Binghamton University – ScienceDaily – May 28, 2019Light at night might be convenient for humans, but it's having a detrimental effect on amphibian populations, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York. "Research on the effects of light pollution has recently seen a surge in popularity," said Binghamton University Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Jessica Hua. "It's difficult to find any place on Earth that is not affected by even minimal light pollution. We recognized a gap in the research and realized that not much was known about how light pollution can impact amphibians. Since amphibians are sensitive to environmental changes, they make great models for studying how pollution of any type can impact other species." Read full article here.

Using the past to unravel the future for Arctic wetlands

By University of Leeds – Phys.org – May 28, 2019A new study has used partially fossilized plants and single-celled organisms to investigate the effects of climate change on the Canadian High Arctic wetlands and help predict their future. The Arctic is warming faster than any other region on Earth, which is causing the region's ecology to undergo a rapid transformation. Until now there has been limited information on the response of Arctic wetlands to climate change and rising global temperatures. Read full story here.

Study highlights vulnerability of rural coast to sea-level rise

By David Malmquist – VIMS – May 27, 2019 Ghost forests and abandoned farmland illustrate the cost of climate change. Type “sea-level rise” in an internet search engine and almost all the resulting images will show flooded cities, with ample guidance on civic options for protecting urban infrastructure, from constructing seawalls to elevating roadways. But a new review article in Nature Climate Change highlights the growing recognition that sea-level rise will mostly impact rural land–much of it privately owned—where existing knowledge is insufficient to best inform public and private decisions regarding the encroachment of wetlands into farm land and forests. Those decisions involve complex tradeoffs between the value of different land uses. Whereas many landowners see upland-to-wetland conversion as an economic loss, wetlands also provide valuable ecosystem services by improving water quality, supporting marine fisheries, and protecting against flooding. Read full story here.

The Wettest 12 Months: New Analysis Shows Spikes in Flood Alerts in the US

By David L. Chandler – World Economic Forum – May 16, 2019Most people’s experience with seagrass, if any, amounts to little more than a tickle on their ankles while wading in shallow coastal waters. But it turns out these ubiquitous plants, varieties of which exist around the world, could play a key role in protecting vulnerable shores as they face onslaughts from rising sea levels. New research for the first time quantifies, through experiments and mathematical modelling, just how large and how dense a continuous meadow of seagrass must be to provide adequate damping of waves in a given geographic, climatic, and oceanographic setting. Read full story here.

It was 84 degrees near the Arctic Ocean this weekend as carbon dioxide hit its highest level in human history

By Jason Samenow – The Washington Post – May 14, 2019 Over the weekend, the climate system sounded simultaneous alarms. Near the entrance to the Arctic Ocean in northwest Russia, the temperature surged to 84 degrees Fahrenheit (29 Celsius). Meanwhile, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere eclipsed 415 parts per million for the first time in human history. By themselves, these are just data points. But taken together with so many indicators of an altered atmosphere and rising temperatures, they blend into the unmistakable portrait of human-induced climate change. Read full story here.

For Sea Anemones, Global Warming and Microplastics Have Teamed Up to Make Everything Worse

By Hannah Thomasy – Hakai Magazine – May 13, 2019Climate change and plastic pollution are major threats to all marine life, from minuscule crustaceans to gigantic whales. Although many experiments have examined these threats, few have looked at what happens when they both strike at once. At least for the sea anemone, new research from a team at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Stanford, California, suggests that the combined threat is worse than the sum of its parts. Read full article here.

Researchers Find ‘World’s Oldest Wetland Tree’

Science News – May 13, 2019Bald cypress trees (Taxodium distichum) over 2,000 years old grow in the forested wetlands along Black River south of Raleigh, North Carolina. One of the trees is at least 2,624-years old, making the bald cypress the oldest-known wetland tree species, the oldest living trees in eastern North America, and the fifth oldest known non-clonal tree species on Earth. “Living trees over 2,000-years old are extremely rare worldwide,” said University of Arkansas Professor David Stahle and colleagues. Read full story here.

Climate Change Increasing Spread of Disease Among Frogs

By Carson McCullough – Courthouse News Service – May 10, 2019Climate change has a direct relationship with the spread of a fatal disease among frogs in the United Kingdom, according to a new study released Thursday. The study, published in scientific journal Global Change Biology, said researchers found a direct correlation between the increasing spread of a Ranavirus disease among frogs and Earth’s rising temperatures. Ranavirus is an infectious disease that affects amphibians and reptiles. Scientists found the disease to experience certain seasonal changes, and that it spikes in severity when temperatures are highest. Read full story here.

Another Great Midwest Flood of 1993 This Summer? Probably Not, But There Are Some Concerning Signs

By Johnathan Erdman – The Weather Channel – May 9, 2019 – VideoParts of the Midwest and Plains have received a record-soaking since last summer that has primed the area in a way similar to the Great Flood of 1993 and dramatically increased the chance for another potential major summer flood event there. Flooding has already smashed records in parts of the nation's heartland this spring. In March, rapid snowmelt and heavy rain led to record flooding in Nebraska, Iowa and other Midwest states, including the destruction of a dam. On April 30, a temporary levee protecting Davenport, Iowa, failed, sending water pouring into downtown buildings. Three days later, the Mississippi River at nearby Rock Island, Illinois, ticked above its previous record crest from 1993, buoyed by recent heavy rain and water from melted snow upstream. Read full story and view video here.

Wetland Related Photo Contests

Audubon Community Nature Center Nature Photography Contest

Cash prizes of $200 will be awarded to Adult and Youth winners in three categories: Naturally Funny, Field Guide Worthy, and Naturally Beautiful. Submission deadline is June 30, 2019. More information can be found here.

Entries will be accepted from Monday, October 14 through Tuesday, October 22, 2019 with the contest to be held in the Louisiana Room at the LDWF Headquarters building starting at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, October 23, 2019. The public is invited to attend. More information can be found here.

The Friends of Wildwood are seeking original, amateur photographs taken within Wildwood Park for the 2019 Photography Contest. Photos should reflect wetlands habitat, flora, fauna, and/or activities and convey the conservation values of the park. All entries are due by November 30, 2019. More information can be found here.

By BRIDGE – USAID Biodiversity Conservation Gateway – May 16, 2019This synthesis document draws on a series of evidence summaries and case studies generated by USAID that highlight the potential role of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) to address climate vulnerabilities and contribute to development results. The document provides an introduction to EbA and common EbA approaches; summarizes evidence related to EbA and food security, water security, coastal populations and extreme events; and discusses cost-effectiveness, elements of a successful EbA approach and enabling conditions. Download this document here.

USACE Publishes Hydrilla Risk Assessment for the Great Lakes Basin

Contact: Andrew Kornacki – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District – May 14, 2019The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, in cooperation with the Engineer Research and Development Center, has published a risk assessment that summarizes the potential for hydrilla introduction within the Great Lakes. The basin-wide risk assessment was completed under contract by Ecology and Environment, Inc. in partnership with North Carolina State University, Texas Tech University, and University of Toledo, with funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and identified five watersheds that could be at a higher risk for introduction of hydrilla: Southeastern Lake Ontario, St. Clair-Detroit, Western Lake Erie, Southern Lake Erie, and Southwestern Lake Erie. Read full news release here.

Climate Adaptation Science Centers—Annual Report for 2018

By Elda Varela Minder – U.S. Geological Survey – 20192018 marked the 10-year anniversary of the establishment of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center! With the passage of the fiscal year 2018 budget on March 23, 2018, our program name was changed from the National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center to the National Climate Adaptation Science Center (NCASC). The eight regional Department of the Interior (DOI) Climate Science Centers were renamed Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs). The name changes more clearly align the national and regional centers and emphasize their focus on meeting natural resource adaptation needs. Although the program has a new name, our mission has not changed. We are still hard at work delivering science to help fish, wildlife, water, land, and people adapt to a changing climate. Read more and download the report here.

Potpourri

A Cleveland River Once Oozed and Burned. It’s Now a Hot Spot.

By Erik Piepenburg – The New York Times – June 7, 2019A misconception still clings to Cleveland and it comes down to three words: river on fire. From 1868 to 1969, the polluted Cuyahoga River, which cleaves Cleveland into east and west, caught fire 13 times. In 1969, a photo in Time magazine dramatically showed a brave little fire department boat battling a wall of angry flames. This June marks the 50th anniversary of the day in Cleveland when the Cuyahoga River burst into flames for the last time. Outrage over the disaster led to the creation of state and federal environmental protection agencies and to the passage of the federal Clean Water Act. Read full story here.

Urban forests are dying. Baltimore shows us how to bring them back.

By Andrew Zaleski – Popular Science – June 5, 2019Walk through Baltimore’s neighborhoods, and look up. The fan-shaped ginkgo leaves and ¬ruby-red pearls dangling from cherry branches are the literal fruits of how Gene DeSantis has spent the predominant part of his life. On Saturdays, the slight, cap-wearing 57-year-old plants trees. By his count, 15,223 of them over the past 40 years. Read full story here.

In a Town Shaped by Water, the River Is Winning

By Linda Poon – Citylab – May 24, 2019The floor beneath Sally Tennant’s feet was thumping, as if it had a heartbeat—an irregular one, with each thud getting louder and more violent. When she looked out the window of her store, she discovered why: A river of muddy water was gushing down the street, and it was sending tree branches, rocks, pieces of fencing—anything the water swept up—crashing into the side of the building. Read full story here.

Terrapins in the Classroom: Release at Poplar Island

By Jason Samenow – National Aquarium – Water Blog – May 22, 2019 An effort to help Maryland’s students feel more connected to the Chesapeake Bay, the Aquarium’s Terrapins in the Classroom program brings the state’s reptile, the diamondback terrapin, directly into classrooms, giving students the chance to come face to face with nature. Read full blog post here.

Green infrastructure nature’s best defense against disasters

United Nations Environment Programme – May 17, 2019UN Member States today called for increased investments in ecosystem-based solutions for disaster prevention. Healthy ecosystems play a crucial role in preventing environmental disasters and mitigate climate change as well as reducing their harmful impacts. Extreme weather patterns such as prolonged drought, flash floods and cyclones ¬contribute to food insecurity, instability and migration. The latest devastating cyclones Idai and Kenneth, which hit Mozambique last spring, are cases in point. According to the UN Development Programme, “more than 100 million people could fall back into extreme poverty due to climate change [by 2030], while over 200 million people could be displaced due to more frequent and severe climatic disasters.” Read full press release here.

Species facing climate change could find help in odd place: urban environments

Contact: Mike Silver – Tufts Now – May 14, 2019When it comes to wildlife conservation efforts, urban environments could be far more helpful than we think, according to new research. A study published today in Ecology shows that animals move faster through ‘low quality’ habitats – evidence that could change the way conservationists think about managing landscapes to help species move in response to climate change. In light of the recent UN report indicating that 1 million species are threatened with extinction, the study provides a framework for definitive action to help preserve many species at risk. The work was carried out by researchers at Tufts University, University of Liverpool, Washington State University and the University of Ottawa. Read full news release here.

Dangerously High Air Pollution Levels Found in Most U.S. National Parks

Yale Environment 360 – May 8, 2019Some 85 percent of U.S. national parks have levels of air pollution that are hazardous to human health, according to a new report from the National Parks Conservation Association. Some of the country’s most popular parks — such as Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Joshua Tree — experienced up to two months of dangerously high ozone levels, The Guardian reported. Much of the air pollution comes from nearby oil and gas drilling sites, coal mines, power plants, vehicles, and agricultural activities. Read full story here.

The ‘Godfather of Biodiversity’ on Why Two Degrees of Warming Must Be Avoided

By Jessica Leber – Audubon – May 8, 2019When Thomas Lovejoy traveled to the Amazon as a young biologist in 1965, massive highways, farms, and ranches had hardly yet crisscrossed the jungle. Stunned by the rainforest’s riches (and by the colorful manakins—his favorite birds), he later coined the concept “biological diversity” that described what he saw. As development encroached in the region, he launched a large-scale study to understand the ecosystem's response. Forty years later, the experiment remains the world’s longest-running look at the real-world effects of habitat fragmentation. Though the initial forest clear-cutting occurred decades ago, the effects are still playing out. Read full story here.

"Frost Fairs," the Little Ice Age and Climate Change

By Remi Shaull-Thompson – Scientific American – May 7, 2019Scientists do not fully understand what caused the Little Ice Age. Data from tree and ice cores suggests that there was a drop in solar energy—incoming radiation from the sun. The sun’s activity, including the radiation it gives off and the number of sunspots, fluctuates periodically. It could have been volcanoes too. There is evidence that there were more volcano eruptions after 1200; the ash volcanoes spew into the air cools the earth by blocking out the sun. Read full blog post here.